Jessica Biel defends herself against accusations she's an anti-vaxxer: 'I support children getting vaccinations'

Jessica Biel wants the world to know she is not against vaccines, just a proposed bill in California that she said would make it harder for her friends to protect the health of their child.

Earlier this week, the actress went to Sacramento to speak with state lawmakers about SB 276, a bill that would make it harder for doctors to grant exemptions to immunization requirements. Lawmakers in favor of the bill say it will cut down on doctors loosely granting exemptions. Biel became the focus of people on both sides of the issue, with some, like anti-vaccination activist Robert Kennedy Jr., praising her, and others saying she was an anti-vaxxer putting children in danger.

"I am not against vaccinations — I support children getting vaccinations and I also support families having the right to make educated medical decisions for their children alongside their physicians," Biel wrote on Instagram Thursday. "My concern with #SB276 is solely regarding medical exemptions." Biel said her closest friends have a child with a medical condition that makes him exempt from vaccinations, "and should this bill pass, it would greatly affect their family's ability to care for their child in this state." She did not explain why the child would lose his medical exemption under the bill.

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It's important for doctors to "decide what's best for their patients and the ability to provide that treatment," Biel added, and she encourages people to "read more on the issue and to learn about the intricacies of #SB276."

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.